Kershaw returns, but so do back issues for L.A. lefty
The Dodgers have learned how to win for long stretches without left-hander Clayton Kershaw. They might need to do so again.
Jorge Alfaro drove in two runs, Aaron Nola pitched seven innings of two-hit ball and the visiting Phillies beat Los Angeles 2-1 on Thursday, spoiling Kershaw’s first start in almost a month.
Kershaw, who returned after spending 30 days on the disabled list with left biceps tendinitis, said after the game that another DL trip might be necessary — this time for a third back injury in three seasons. He is expected to undergo an MRI exam and will not travel with the team for this weekend’s series at Colorado.
“I’m not, ‘Woe is me.’ I don’t feel sorry for me or for us or anything like that,” Kershaw said. “I’m frustrated, disappointed I can’t contribute to the team. Being on the DL’s no fun. So hopefully, I get to maybe avoid that. I’ll have to see what happens with the MRI.”
Kershaw missed more than two months with a back issue in 2016, and a separate back problem last year cost him five weeks. He called that 2016 injury “very, very severe” and said this one feels more like what he dealt with last season.
The Dodgers have gone 75-46 in the past three years without Kershaw, good for a .620 winning percentage. This year, the Dodgers were 14-12 without their lefty.
“Obviously with Clayton’s history, there’s some concern,” manager Dave Roberts said. “You want to make sure he’s well and good. We are going to dig into it and see if there’s anything to it. Our medical staff will probably dig in more and potentially a scan and see where we’re at with that. The shoulder felt fine; it was just the back tightened.”